Let It Snow
by Annamonk
Summary: Just a little bit of fun for all my wonderful readers. Thanks for the feedback. You make me a better writer. I hope you enjoy this bit of fluff. In this tale, Spike and Buffy have to venture north at Christmas time.
1. Chapter 1

Buffy stared at her watcher. This couldn't be her Giles. It had to be some kind of crazy spell. She looked over at Spike and saw her own shock played out on his face.

"Have you lost your bloody mind, Watcher?" Spike popped up from his chair. "I will not be going to some posh ski resort to fetch and carry for the slayer. I am evil."

"There's a thousand dollars, three bottles of my best whisky, and a carton of cigarettes in it for you." Giles leaned back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Buffy watched as Spike stilled. It was a windfall for him. He was going to agree, stupid damn vampire. She rolled her shoulders back. There was nothing for it. She was going to have to put her dainty foot down, hard.

"You can bribe him, but I am not going." Buffy glared at both of them. "I can barely stand being around him when I come here. I'd never make it, not and still be sane, happy Buffy."

"I understand that this is a lot to ask of you, but doing this small thing could help us greatly." Giles pushed his glasses closer to his eyes and stared at her. "The Council's support does serve a purpose, and this request didn't ome from Travers."

"The Council tried to kill me and they made you the weapon. How can you forget that?" Buffy's chin jutted out and her hands seemed glued to her hips. She didn't flinch when she heard the low rumbling growl from Spike. she didn't spare him a glance.

"The Council did what now?" Spike's voice was different, lower and rumbling.

"There's this test where they take all your powers and make you fight a vamp." Buffy rolled her eyes. "Seems like you'd want a video of it and some popcorn."

"Not bloody likely, Slayer. I am going to be the end of you and I'll tear anyone else that tries to steal my prize limb from bloody limb." His eyes flashed amber for a moment.

"First, you can't be the end of me anymore. No bitey, no killy. Remember?" Buffy tossed her hair and pointed a finger at the vamp. "Second, stop using bloody as your only damn adjective. Your smarter than that, and it's gross."

"Bloody right." Spike stuck his tongue out at her. She couldn't help the quick grin that flashed across her face. He was the most annoying vampire in like ever, but, since Willow's spell, there was a but. Buffy closed her eyes and forced her thoughts away from the bad places.

"Shut up, Spike." Buffy turned back to Giles. One crazy Englishman at a time, please. "Just because the request didn't come from Travers the troll doesn't mean it's a good idea. He's dumb, but not completely stupid. It's easy enough to have one of his fellow trolls call you."

"My father is not a troll, nor is he a lackey." Giles took a deep breath and fastened his green eyes on her. She could see the emotions he so carefully guarded swirling in his gaze. Damn and double damn, she was going to have to do this. She swallowed.

"Why can't Xander go with me or you? Why does it have to be Spike?" She was whining now, and she hated it.

"Buffy, these demons are stronger and faster than you can imagine. I saw one once in the Himalayas. Bullets don't stop them, and crossbows won't work. You have the remove their heads in one stroke. There's a nest. There could be up to six young ones and the two adults. If you should get hurt, Spike is the only one of us fast enough to get you to safety. He might even enjoy the battle, what with his newfound ability to harm those of his own ilk."

"Ilk? My ilk? I have nothing in common with those things." Spike huffed and stomped off to the kitchen making a mess while warming his blood. They both ignored him.

"Then why can't we all go? You know, do the group road trip thing?" Buffy pouted.

"Willow is taking a course in winter session, Xander has just started to succeed in his new endeavor, and I have some work to do with the local museum. Without the income from the Council, we need the funds for weapons and research materials."

"So, I get to go on a trip to the icy north with the bleached wonder." Buffy flopped down in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Do you honestly believe I would send you away with him if there was another option?" Giles looked at her over the rims of his glasses and her heart sank. There was no getting out of this. She sighed.

"Don't go making promises you can't keep, Watcher. I still haven't agreed to this little jaunt." Spike leaned casually against the wall by the kitchen entrance.

"What more could you want?" Giles' exasperation was clear.

"You're sending me off with your precious slayer and expecting me to squire her about. I need the money upfront." Spike looked into his mug. Buffy knew he was smiling. She wanted to smash his face in. He couldn't just be happy with the offer on the table. No, the stupid bloodsucker had to negotiate.

She sighed and examined the ceiling. There was no need to listen anymore. She tuned out their voices and focused on the spot of demon blood that had evaded clean up after Thanksgiving. It could be mushy peas.

Why didn't any man want to spend time with her? Angel had abandoned her. She grimaced. It was for the best, but it still hurt. Parker had used her. It sucked, and she still felt stupid because of it. Riley was cute, but he just didn't get her. The only time she had ever felt truly loved and accepted was when Willow had tossed Spike at her.

She turned her head and examined her erstwhile fiancé. There were days when she wished Willow hadn't been able to fix everything. It was nice to be loved the way Spike loved, with every part of himself. Oh, she had complained and made faces about it, but that had been the expected show. Willow and Xander would never understand. Giles would probably have her committed.

Spike's eyes gleamed and she knew he was about to deliver his coup de gras. She knew that look. He relished the fight, no matter what kind of fight. Watching him argue with her watcher was just fun.

"Fine, Spike. I will provide you with spending money." Giles sighed. "Is there anything else you will need?"

Spike's eyes darted toward Buffy and she smiled and shook her head. She knew that arched brow. Her watcher wasn't done paying, not by a long shot.


	2. Chapter 2

Spike loaded the slayer's bags into the back of the four wheel drive monstrosity he had forced the watcher to rent. The DeSoto would never make it to this Mammouth place. The rental was a nice machine with heated seats and a fantastic radio. Buffy would be comfortable in it. The watcher had done right by her. All that really mattered, anyway. The old man wasn't such a bad sort. Anyone that could take the piss out of Angelus while being tortured was at least a tad bit acceptable. Didn't mean he'd give the bloke an easy time though.

He looked back toward the house where the loving and controlling arms of the slayer's cadre of nits was busy reminding her what was expected of her. The whelp had been throwing fits since he found out about this little excursion. Red had been concerned and consoling. The pair of them did more damage to Buffy than he'd ever managed. He sighed and waited for them to finish stoking the fires of her guilt and inadequacy. Slayer would be a pill for hours, all filled up with self loathing and doubt. He leaned against the glossy surface of the rental car and lit a cigarette. There was nothing for it. He sighed.

He watched her standing in the open doorway with her bestest buddies in the world. They weren't bad people, but they hadn't quit punishing her for Angelus. No matter what the girl did, she couldn't escape his bastard sire's ghost.

He took a long drag on the cigarette. The heat from it filled his lungs warming him a bit. It really was the little things that made his unlife bearable.

Giles came over to stand next to him. It was time for the fatherly warnings. He rolled his eyes and blew a smoke ring.

"Keep her there the whole time, Spike. She needs this break." The watcher's quiet words caught him mid smirk.

"She doesn't need a break. Are there even any demons to hunt up there?" Spike's eyes narrowed as he assessed the human beside him. "It wasn't a coincidence that Joyce headed back to her sister's place for the holidays, was it?"

"No. I convinced Joyce to go." Giles sighed and looked directly at him. "There are demons up there. You'll have your bit of violence. Keep her safe."

"What am I keeping her safe from?" Spike glanced back at Buffy. She flipped her golden hair over her shoulder. She was so much more than just a slayer. "I need to know what the real threat is."

"There shouldn't be one." The watcher looked away from him. "I'm very good at this, Spike. I choose you to protect her for a reason and that is all you need to know."

"So, I'm good enough to protect her, but not to be trusted. Seems about par for the course with you lot. Does she know?"

"She knows there are demons to kill." Giles flushed, his heartbeat erratic. "It's my job to protect her."

"Fine, Watcher, but this will cost you." Spike took a long drag on his cigarette. The slayer was in real danger, and these fools were sending her away with no knowledge of the threat.

"What do you want?" The weary note in the watcher's voice should have thrilled him, but she needed the fool, loved him like a father.

"A boon, a simple favor. I'll just collect it in the future." Spike shrugged.

"I will not owe you some vague favor, Spike." Green eyes narrowed, the watcher turned to face him with hands fisted.

"It will not hurt the slayer in anyway. It will not endanger your precious brat brigade either. You'll be in my debt, and I will relish it." Spike smiled as the watcher snorted.

"I'll owe you." Giles voice was troubled.

"I'll do my best to return her to you safe and sound. Did your Da really ask this of you or was that just a bit of guilt you used to get her agreement?" Spike listened to the quick catch in the man's breathing. The quick flush of guilt was all the answer he needed.

"My father did call me."

"Splitting hairs. That's a devil's game. Best you leave it to my ilk, yeah?" Spike smiled at the sudden slump to the man's shoulders. Ah, the simple pleasures. Guilt was just the toy for him.

Buffy laughed and his eyes fastened on her, washed in the golden glow of the electric lights of her home. He felt the siren call of her, the strength and resilience he knew was hidden by the kittenish exterior of the girl. He missed fighting her, missed kissing her. He shifted and adjusted his pants.

Things had been much easier before Willow's spell. He had hated her, pure unadulterated abhorrence. Now, he existed in a world where he could no longer detest the bint. He'd held her in his arms and listened to her quiet confession of her fears and desires. He'd kissed her lips and felt her tremble with desire. The spell had robbed him of his ability to see her in one dimension. She was vulnerable despite her strength, and it bothered him to see her suffer. He'd always respected her. She could fight like a demon, and dance like an angel. Her smiles were all the sunshine he needed.

The spell was reversed, but its effects lingered. Hell, he had found a strange desire to write poetry again. Perhaps it was the flash of grief in her eyes before she had risen above him sputtering in showy disgust.

He sighed. The trip would give him some time with her, not that it would come to anything. Still, a demon could dream.

Buffy playfully pushed Xander and Willow out the door. They both smiled back at her. Their eyes never caught the nervous flex of her fingers. Their ears didn't hear the sudden flurry of her beating heart. Goodbyes, even temporary ones, hurt her.

She looked to him and he offered a bland face. She wouldn't welcome his concern.

"Can we please get a move on. The rocks are mossy, Slayer." He tapped his bare wrist. "I'd like to be on the road sometime before midnight."

"I have a couple of things to grab. Patience is a virtue." She snarled.

"She's nervous. Try to control your urge to torment her." The watcher shook his head.

"You want to owe me another favor?" Spike enjoyed the man's quick shake of the head.


	3. Chapter 3

Buffy looked at her jewelry box as she grabbed her purse. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to it. This shouldn't be so hard. She opened the lid and looked at the ring tray.

There it sat in the pink velvet of her girlish treasure trove. She stroked the rounded silver dome of the skull and considered the ruby eyes of her engagement ring. Returning it was the right thing to do, but she wanted to hold on to it. Her brief engagement had been more fulfilling than any relationship she'd had before, and wasn't that the saddest commentary on her miserable life.

She plucked the ring from its place and put it back on her finger. It wasn't the ring she had dreamed of as a little girl. It was a garish, ugly bit of metal and stone, but he had placed on her finger reverently. She could still see the longing in his eyes as he stared up at her. She blinked away the tears that always threatened when she remembered losing his adoration.

This shouldn't bother her. It hadn't been real. She looked up and pulled the ring from her finger.

The ring was going back where it belonged. She clenched her fist around it, got up, and shoved it deep into the pocket of her jeans.

She checked her reflection in the mirror and headed out of the room. Keeping him waiting wasn't going to make this any easier. She shut off the lights and closed her door as she exited her bedroom.

Grabbing her new winter coat, she snagged the cooler from its place by the door. She plastered on a sunny smile for her watcher. He needed her to be strong. He needed her to be the slayer. She examined the pair of Englishman waiting for her. Their apparent ease with each other was tempered by Spike's rolling eyes. His patience was near an end. She had no idea how he was going to make the long drive. Being forced to sit in one seat for that long would be torture for him.

Spike raised his scarred eyebrow and looked pointedly at the cooler clutched in her hand.

"What? Only the undead get to bring snacks? Mini bars are expensive." Buffy stuck out her chin in her best imitation of Willow's resolve face.

"A weapon's chest, two large suitcases, a smaller bag for your fripperies, and a bleedin' cooler?" He ticked off each item on his fingers, holding his hand up and moving it to show Giles. "This is traveling light?"

"Must every interaction I have with the two of you devolve into some sort of childish display?" Giles grumbled.

"We try our hardest." Buffy winked at her watcher.

"Yes, well, I do believe you should be very thorough." Giles was sliding into lecture mode. She sighed, and shoved her cooler in next to Spike's. "These creatures are..."

"Dangerous. They are quick, agile, and operate on instinct." Buffy smiled and walked over to Giles. "I've been listening. I have notes. I have photocopies from the demonology text that described these things."

"And she has a vampire chauffeur that will be bloody useless if we don't get a move on. Our travel time is going to be tight as is." Spike rolled his hips suggestively. "Or do you want to stop at some cheap motel along the way? Check out the magic fingers?"

Buffy ignored Spike and grabbed Giles' arm to stop him from threatening the vampire. She ducked under his chin and wrapped her arms around her watcher, hugging him until he closed his arms around her as well.

"You don't have to worry about Spike. He'll get us there and do his part. He has that weird keeping his word thing you lot from across the pond all seem to get." Buffy stepped back, breaking their embrace. "We will be back before you can miss us, well, me."

"Will you get in the car, Slayer? Dust will not drive for you, and the watcher wouldn't let me paint the windows on this here jalopy." Spike rolled his eyes.

"Don't forget who has the pointy wood here." Buffy enjoyed the embarrassed blush that bloomed on her watcher's face almost as much as Spike's snicker. They both thought she was so clueless. She didn't want to disappoint. "What?"

Both Brits shook their heads quietly.

"Can we get going, Spike? We're wasting moonlight." She hopped in the car and waved to Giles. "We'll be back in no time."

He nodded and shut her door while Spike settled into the driver's seat. She didn't bother to look at the vampire. Her gaze was latched onto her watcher. She could see his concern, so she waved cheerily.

The engine purred, and Spike slid the car into drive. She clutched the door with her free hand and continued waving as they pulled away.

"We're coming back, Pet."

"I know that, but I don't like leaving him behind. It's Christmas time and I'm off to kill demons with you. Kinda not the picture I had in my head."

"Holiday with a vampire does sound a bit like some Anne Rice novel." Spike rolled his eyes. "Half the fledges I stake want to be called some poncy name from her bleedin' books. It's humiliating. There are standards, you know?"

"I know. Like I want to spend my time killing off the costumed freaks. Where do they find the frilly shirts and velvet jackets anyway? Is there a specialty shop somewhere in town?"

"If there is, we need to burn it to the ground." Spike growled.

"Then we can have Willow work her mojo to make sure the damn thing can't come back." Buffy giggled and Spike smiled at her.

"Best watch yourself, Pet. You'll land yourself on the jolly old elf's naughty list."

Buffy grinned and watched Spike relax. He had no idea how naughty she wanted to be. There was this thing between them. It had been there in the alley where he first threatened her and it was there now. Being near him felt right. It shouldn't be so easy, but, without the pressure to be perfect supplied so constantly by her friends, she could be a little naughty. She glanced out the window and watched the darkened world pass by. Maybe, she could be a lot naughty.

She was tired of being good. Angel had left her so she could have a normal life, a good life. She snorted. There was no rosy future for her with a studly, someone special and two children. The white picket fence he had pictured would be shoved into undead hearts.

Spike got that. He hadn't promised some rosy future despite all her crazy wedding plans. He had stroked her face and promised to keep her alive as long as he could, and it had been bliss. She bit her lower lip.

She was going off to kill demons for Christmas. There was no normal. There never would be, but maybe there could be something better? If she could just be brave and do what she wanted to do, there might be some happiness.

"Do you get lonely? I mean the holidays are hard when you're alone, right?" Buffy fastened her gaze on the oncoming traffic and waited for a response.


	4. Chapter 4

"Do you get lonely? I mean the holidays are hard when you're alone, right?"

Spike took a deep, unneeded breath. The slayer sounded like she might actually give a damn about his answer. He swallowed. What was going on in that head of hers?

"Haven't had a proper Christmas in quite a while, but we all get lonely, Slayer. Don't need a beating heart to feel alone."

She nodded and her heart began to race. He took another deep breath, trying to figure her out. He could smell her fear, a sharp sour scent, but there was another scent wafting from her. He took another long pull of the air around him, and nearly jerked the car into oncoming traffic.

He took a few seconds to straighten the vehicle, ignoring her sputtering overreaction. She was breathing rapidly, the warmth of her breath filling the cabin. It was wonderful. Her body was speaking even if she hadn't gotten to the point.

Those few hours being hers, he had learned her scents, learned her responses. He looked at her out of the side of his eyes. Her cheeks were tinged a becoming pink,and her eyes appeared darker in the glow of the instruments. She shifted and the heady aroma of desire surrounded him. The slayer wanted him.

"Are you okay to drive, Spike? I mean what the hell?"

"Bloody colonials, driving on the wrong side of the road." Spike snarled to cover his gaff. Buffy giggled.

"Yeah, Giles forgets sometimes, too." She put her booted feet up on dash and sighed. "It's no big."

He nodded. She would get around to talking to him. The girl couldn't resist silence. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. Miles of road passed. Spike sighed wondering if he could hold out longer than she could.

The sound of her heart and her breath filled his world. Each pulse of blood stretched to infinity. She had to talk soon. He wrapped his fingers around the wheel. Counting headlights wasn't helping.

He had to keep driving. Pulling over, burying his hands in her silken hair, and kissing her until she begged him for more was not an option. She had to talk soon.

"Look." She licked her lips. Her heart beat faster. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but here me out. Okay?"

He nodded, afraid to speak and interrupt her. The sudden weight in the air was familiar. He'd noted it before. His world was about to change as it had when he'd met Dru and the night he killed his first slayer. His body was strung tight. He rolled his shoulders, eager for the metamorphosis he knew was coming.

Her breaths shortened. The sharp scent of her fear surged. She knew this was heady stuff, just as he did, but she held the control. He was left waiting, equal parts anticipation and dread. He fought the urge to growl when her heart beat began racing.

"So, I tried to do the normal thing, and we both know I failed. I know there isn't a happy ending out there somewhere for me. I get it." She licked her lips. "When Willow did her spell, you and I, we talked about it, about the reality of my life. I mean around the obnoxious music selections and the pouting over exes."

She took several deep breaths and squirmed in her seat.

"You were getting to a point?" He took another deep breath and glanced at her. She was worrying her lower lip with her teeth. "Just say it, yeah?"

"I don't want to make this weird or anything, but could we try and see if maybe we could like each other? I know you love Drusilla. I can't replace her, but maybe we could just have each other for a while 'cause it sucks to be alone for the holidays." She took a deep breath.

"So, a fling while we're away from your precious little world?" He kept the anger from his tone. Did she honestly believe he was that desperate?

"No, I just figured it might be easier to see if there's anything there, anything worth our effort before we went to war with my friends over it. I miss you. I mean you annoy me, but I miss you, too."

He swallowed. Truth be told, it wasn't a bad plan. If they worked over the next few days, it would be worth facing her watcher's wrath and the whelp's complaints. If it didn't, they could return with none the wiser.

"I'm not a toy. Won't be that again. If we do this, you have to be all in." Spike watched from the side of his eyes as she turned toward him.

"What does all in mean?"

"It means we talk, we do things together, and we don't run for the hills when it gets tough. We're enemies, slayer and vampire. That's gonna be hard to overcome. I want to know who you are when you're at home. I want you to know me that well, too. I want to be Spike and Buffy, man and woman." He took a deep breath. "Just to make one thing clear. Don't love Dru like that anymore. She made her choice. I'm only interested in one lady now."

"Okay." She sighed, and, suddenly, her hot, little hand was resting on his thigh. "I'm scared to disappoint you, ya know?"

"Is this more of that blather about you being no good in the sack?" He rolled his eyes. "I bloody told you with me it will all be different. It's true spell or no spell. 'Sides how bad could it have been, if the poof got all blissed out."

"It's not just that. I'm probably crazy, but I really want this to work." She stroked her hand down toward his knee. "Willow's spell made me think, ya know?"

"Made the scales fall from my eyes as well. This isn't going to be easy, but the great things never are."

"Great things?" Buffy's hand slid back up his thigh.

"No point trying if you expect to fail." He dropped his hand own on hers and laced his fingers through hers.

"How much longer is this drive going to take?"

"We've got hours to go, Pet." He smiled at her heavy sigh. "Why don't you tell me about your modern Christmas traditions?"

"Didn't you ever celebrate with Dru?"

"No, she was happy enough to drain the occasional bell ringing Santa, but Christmas made her cranky. Too much good will."

"That's the stuff that's gonna take some time." She sighed. "You don't mind that you ate people?"

"I am a vampire." He looked over at her, wondering if this thing was ending before it had gone anywhere. She swallowed and nodded. "Baggin' it now."

"We used to ice skate as a family. Mom and Dad aren't from California, so they wanted me to learn. I just wanted to skate. I loved it." She smiled. "We would go to the rink and play around to the Christmas music. Dad made time for it. He never checked his watch. It was the best."

He relaxed as she continued her stories. She was all in. He smiled, thinking of the stockings and the one gift he had hidden in his duffle. It might be a merry Christmas after all.


	5. Chapter 5

There was one bed. It was gigantic, but there was still only the one. Buffy took a deep breath. She was really trying, but she'd figured they would dip their toes in, not cannonball into the deep end.

"I want the side closest to the patio. I'll keep my cooler out there. More room in that little fridge for your goodies then." His hand rested on her shoulder for a second and then the cool comfort of his touch was gone. She glanced around the cabin, but he wasn't in the room. She could feel him, that tingle that was unique to him. She moved toward it.

Spike was showering. She could hear the water sluicing off his body. He was humming. God, he was happy. no one hummed when they were sad. This didn't bother him.

"He's lived with a woman before. Sharing a bed isn't new to him." She grumbled. "What am I supposed to wear?"

Rubbing her sweaty palms on her denim clad thighs, she looked longingly at her weapons chest. It would be so nice to go kill something. She grabbed her cooler and shoved the blood bags back behind the tiny bottles of booze. He wouldn't find them there. he didn,t need to know she'd brought more. She dumped her candy bars and yogurts at the front. The more camouflage, the better.

The water shut off. She stood up and turned toward the bathroom door. Her heart was racing. She made sure all the curtains were drawn. He would be coming out soon. The room seemed to shrink around her. She gulped, her eyes darting about.

She needed to finish unpacking. She opened her first bag and started putting her jeans and sweats in the bottom drawer.

The creak of the bathroom door drew her eyes. He stood, framed by the swirling steam. Her mouth went dry and her heart beat like an angry fyarl was chasing her. She had never seen him like this. Flushed and warm from his shower, he paused and stared at her.

"We are going to get over all this weirdness, right?" Buffy tried to keep her eyes from trailing over all that beautiful, alabaster skin. Why was the towel so big? She forced her eyes up.

His knowing smile made her blush.

"There's weirdness?" He walked over to her and stroked her cheek with his free hand. "We don't have to rush into a physical relationship. Sharing a bed is intimate, but it doesn't mean I have expectations, great or otherwise."

"Oh," she sighed and fussed with the hem of her sweater. All the doubts Angel and Parker had left her with flitted through her mind. "Is it me?"

Spike pulled her close and hugged her with one arm. The bare skin of his chest was warm against her cheek, an effect of the hot shower. It was strange, but not stranger than standing in their one room cabin, next to their giant bed. She cuddled into him.

"Luv, I want you. I have since that first night watching you dance with your little friends. It was all mixed up with hating you, but the desire was there. I wanted you. The poof and that git that hurt you earlier this year are fools. I was yours for a few hours, loved you for a few hours, but those hours were amazing. Made losing you that much worse. Even missed you humming the crap music." He led her to the bed, sat, and pulled her into his lap. "I won't toy with you, Buffy. I'm evil. Can't miss that, but I don't hurt the women I care about."

Buffy nodded and stroked his chest with her fingers. Being so wimpy bothered her. Spike knew about her doubts because she had confessed them to him during the spell. He never made her feel weak or silly even when they went back to their hating each other riff. He'd teased her about the music but never hurt her with the real ammunition he'd acquired. She pulled back and stared into his eyes, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"You care about me." It wasn't a question. She smiled as he nodded. The world around them went still. Buffy stroked her fingers along his cheek. She shifted her body on his lap and felt the towel shift a bit before he caught it. "You care about me. It's not some spell."

"Spent a lot of time just thinking about you after Red twisted us up and ripped us apart." He traced her lower lip with the pad of his thumb. "Realized I didn't want you dead. Made me feel real low, even tried to dust myself, but then I had myself some time to think. You're human, but more so. Might be I could be a vamp, but less so."

"So, you're done with evil?"

"Can't be done with what I am, but I'm not practicing now." Spike shrugged one shoulder. "Doesn't mean I won't steal the watcher's hooch."

"Riley gave me this whole speech about how hiding from getting hurt was wrong, how much he liked me, and wanted a chance for us. He wanted it until we fought those demons with the valiant amulet thingy. He said I wasn't human." Buffy blinked rapidly. She was so not going to cry right now. "Apparently, I am a non hostile subterranean."

"Those sadists have labeled you?" Spike looked in her eyes. She could see the flash of fear. "They'd best keep their hands off. Won't have you locked up in their cells."

"I don't think they want to lock me up. They invited me to show them my methods, but I couldn't do it. I thought of you, and I couldn't do it. You've never been afraid of anything before they showed up."

"Are you saying you trust my judgement?" Spike's scarred brow rose.

"I trust your survival instinct." She pushed his nose with one finger. Spike playfully bit at it. She watched his eyes light as they played. This was easy. Being with him was easy.

"Go, get the road washed off of you. Then we can settle in. Need some kip before we head off to kill the snow beasts." He smiled, and she dropped a quick kiss against his curved lips.

He was reaching for her even as she moved away. She trailed her fingers down his arm. The bed didn't seem so intimidating now.

"There's a hot tub outside with a privacy awning that we can crank out over it. Lots of wintery fun for all. We should give it a whirl while we're here." Buffy grabbed her pajamas and stepped toward the bathroom.

"I didn't bring any swim trunks." Spike shrugged.

"That's okay." Buffy laughed. "Neither did I."


	6. Chapter 6

She was trying to use all the hot water in California. He was sure of it. No one spent this much time washing. He shifted in the bed and grimaced as the flannel pajama bottoms rubbed against his skin.

He hoped she appreciated the indignities he suffered for her. Purchasing the damn things had been an adventure in the nancy boy world his human self would have loved. He rolled his eyes as strings of rhyming couplets flooded his mind. He growled. Poetry, there was always poetry. He had to get control of it. He would not be writing odes to the slayers golden tresses or determined gaze.

His body reacted to the mere thought of her. Fanbloodytastic, the pants were necessary after all. He plucked at the soft, blue fabric. This flannel pair would provide him a bit more cover. Wouldn't want to offend the slayer's modesty. The black silk would just be for later. He smirked.

There was going to be a later. He could see it in his slayer's eyes. He leaned back against the headboard of their bed. That was something, sharing a bed with her. He rubbed the back of his own neck. The engagement had been a revelation for him. He wanted her, no surprises there, but he wanted more than a quick tumble or even a night or two.

Desire was easy for a vamp. It came as part of the package. Craving all forms of satiation was the norm. Wanting something more than instant gratification was practically deviant.

He wanted more. He wanted it all. The long drive had only sharpened his appetite. Her mind was facile and the conversation had been a perfect mixture of word play and sincerity.

He'd known the slayer was quick witted, couldn't miss it in battle, known she was beautiful, had eyes, but she was more.

Buffy opened the bathroom door and the warm wet air invaded the bedroom. The heady vanilla scent was strong, but he could smell blood. It was a trace, but the power of it was unmistakable.

"Slayer, are you hurt? I smell blood." Spike got off the bed and found Buffy trying to get a plaster on a cut by the back of her knee. "I could lick that and stop the bleeding."

Buffy looked at him. He could see her struggling with the decision. He swallowed, unaccountably nervous. These little intimacies were important if they had a chance of making it. She had to accept him, demon and man.

"Would it be easier for you to reach it if I laid down on the bed?" She stroked his shocked face as she passed him with her own flannel pants still clutched in her hand. He followed behind her, lamb to her Mary.

The slayer flopped onto the bed and bounced with a giggle. Her white ribbed tank top riding over her hips. Her tiny white cotton briefs were more alluring against her tanned flesh than anything he had ever seen. He swallowed and looked at the tiny cut. It was nothing, but this was everything.

Spike lowered himself next to her on the bed. He reverently stroked her golden skin before flicking his tongue against the cut and sealing the wound. The single drop of her blood on his tongue was a symbol of her trust. He reveled in it, laying the side of his face against her bare thigh.

"Why don't you slide up here?" Buffy sounded giddy. He raised eyes gaze to hers, caught in the moment. Her eyes sparkled as she watched him over her shoulder. She wanted him with her. She wanted to find a way to make this work. It was there on her face, plain for him to see.

"Thank you for trusting me, Pet." He slid up next to her body, noting the warm welcome of her scent. She was blushing as she stroked his bare chest.

"I never imagined you would want that. It seems like I'm taunting you with stuff you can't have." Her gaze was locked on his chin now, her hands flat against his chest.

"I don't view you as food, Love. Not anymore. If I could bite you, it would have to be something we both wanted and enjoyed. You never have to worry about that." He stroked her damp hair back from her face.

She shifted, pressed her body against his, and kissed him, her tongue tracing his lower lip, begging entrance. The blasted poetry was pounding in his brain again as she swept into his mouth. She tasted like sunshine and salvation. Her hands kneaded on his shoulders. He grabbed her waist and pulled her over him.

He was bathed in her heat, their bodies fused. He could feel the frantic strum of her heart throughout his body. He broke away from her lips, his body sucking in unneeded air. Buffy collapsed against him. He stroked a soothing hand along her spine.

"Wasn't expecting this. Knew it would be wonderful..."

"But this is beyond that." She finished his sentence. "I was so nervous about sharing this bed with you, but, now, I don't want to leave it."

"Know what you mean, Love." He looked up into her green eyes. He stroked his fingers over the scar on her neck. "I want to bury myself in you and let the world slide away. I want you to be mine."

"This is happening so fast." Buffy kissed his the tip of his nose.

"Which is why we should slow this down. Want to know we're more than a flash of lust and blood. I want you to be sure of me." He rolled to his side. "I want to let the world slide away, but I want to be in it with you, too."

Buffy nodded. He could see her doubts resurfacing. He grabbed her hand and pulled it to his tented pants. Her fingers curled around him and he groaned.

"I want you, Pet. Don't doubt that. If this were just a bit of fun, you'd be screaming out your release right now." He smirked at her wide eyed reaction.

"Pretty sure of yourself." Buffy huffed.

"Yeah, I am." He smiled as she slid her hands, palms flat, along his chest, circling his nipples. "I have good instincts for survival."

Buffy rolled away from him, tossed her flannel pants to the floor, and climbed up to the space he had vacated when he had checked on her. She flopped back against the pillows and crooked her finger at him, a golden goddess reclined in his bed.

"Put your pants on, Buffy. I'm not going to be able to keep you warm while we sleep."

"I don't care." She stuck out that lower lip in her killer pout. He shook his head and moved next to her.

"Gonna get that pouty lip. That's mine." He bent his head, nipped at her lip with his blunt teeth, and growled. "We need to get some sleep, Woman."

"Don't you think it's a little odd that the human is pushing the vamp to sample the pleasures of the flesh?"

"Gonna do this right for you, Buffy. Won't rush it and leave you with regrets." he pulled her to him and settled into the bed. "I don't hurt the women I care about."


	7. Chapter 7

Buffy needed to kill something. She wanted to rip the demons apart with her bare hands, but they were no shows. She looked over at Spike as he stalked along with her, Holding her hand gently. They'd been here, in winter wonderland hell, for four days. She considered ripping up a tree and beating Spike with it.

"Something wrong, Pet?" He smiled at her and squeezed her hand gently. She shook her head and dropped her eyes down to the cold white stuff crunching under her boots.

He was the perfect boyfriend. He cuddled in front of the fire, he brought her breakfast in bed, he only complained a little bit when she forced them to watch chick flicks, and he held her, secure in his arms through the day as they slept. He would spend at least two hours in the hot tub before coming to bed, so she could cuddle with a warm body. Perfect, perfect, bloody damn well perfect. When had Spike learned to be so patient? She sighed and squeezed his fingers gently.

Maybe she should try beating him at his own game. What would a perfect vampire girlfriend do? She could roll in the snow to cool her body down before going to bed, but that seemed beyond silly. There was the black lace teddy she had tucked away In the back of the drawer. She took a deep breath. Nope, not ready for that. She could imagine going to bed with him and doing the things she'd read about but never tried. She could imagine curling up naked in his arms, but thinking about putting on those scraps of lace was making her wig. She sighed. Another shaving accident might do the trick, but she didn't want to seduce him with her blood. It didn't squick her the way it had, but she wanted him to lust for her not her blood. She stopped, pulling him to a halt.

"Do you want me?" She stared intently at their laced fingers. "I know I'm young and I like sappy movies. I can't do much about the first one. It's not like I'll ever get to be old, but I like horror movies cause they're so funny, and, bonus, blood. I like poetry, at least the stuff you've been reciting. It's pretty. I've never been anywhere much. I mean I went into a hell dimension, but it wasn't interesting like Paris."

Spike tilted his head as he looked at her, but offered no response. Beating him with a tree sounded better and better.

"Just ignore me. I'm an idiot." She grumbled and kicked at the snow.

Spike stepped closer to her, chuckling softly.

"You are bloody adorable." He pushed her chin up with his finger and looked into her eyes. "I want you. Want all of you, the silly girl, the skittish woman, the determined warrior, and every other face you've got. Drives me as barmy as Dru ever was to hold you each night and do nothing more, but I need you to be sure. I'm not sure I could survive being the monster in your closet."

"What?" She bit her tongue. Could she sound any more stupid?

He didn't answer her. His eyes trailed down her body and then back up. He tilted his head, just the tiniest bit. She knew that look now, like she knew his battle faces. His mind was considering his options, trying to see the long term in the right now.

She took a deep breath and watched it escape her, white in the dark night. She watched his eyes track her breath. It was probably just the novelty of it. He was breathing. He always did, even in his sleep, but his breath never showed in the winter air.

"I get it." Buffy moved closer and leaned against his shoulder. "You don't do things by halves. All in means all in. If we make love, you will be there in the morning and every morning after that."

Spike nodded.

"Your holding off because you want me to be sure that's what I want, that its you I want." Buffy swallowed. "They won't like it. Mom will hate that there are no fat grand babies in her future. Xander and Willow will wig. Giles will be concerned you'll turn on us and talk about responsibility, like constantly. They will try to make us miserable if they can, but let them."

"If the chip fails or I find some way to get the damn thing out?"

"You don't hurt the women you care about." Buffy met his eyes. "You won't go back to killing because I would have to stake you and it would destroy me."

Spike shivered and yanked her to his lips. This was her vampire. He could play the perfect boyfriend, but she wanted him, snarky, annoying, and hers. She trembled, gripped his shoulders, and broke the kiss.

His breath escaped white and swirling into the night. They both watched it fade.

"I think this life could drain me dry faster than any vamp. I mean being a slayer. I'm taking classes I don't like to build for a future I don't have. Xander and Willow don't get it, Mom resents it, and Giles ignores it. I am doing it because its normal, and everyone wants normal." She cupped his cheek. "But normal is subjective. I want our normal. I want to wake up with you, watch movies, laugh, cry. I want to go to bed with you. I want the whole ball of wax. What does that mean, really? Why is the wax in a ball?"

"You want this? You're sure?" His fears were so clear in his eyes as he asked.

"When Willow's spell broke and we had to face reality, I wanted to cry. I wanted to beg her to do it again. The you and me thing worked. It felt good. You were honest with me, there for me. Then you were gone. It hurt. I said all the right things. I know the script by heart. I tried real hard to do the normal thing. I went on that picnic with Riley. He's what they want me to want, but him and me? What a disaster that would have been." She shook her head. Spike squeezed her hand and she smiled up at him.

"You didn't want to come here, Pet. I was there or the discussion. Remember?"

"I was still trying to be good for them, but I figured something out that day. I don't want to lose them, but I can't lose you. I don't know what that means, but it feels big."

Spike stilled. His constant movement was just gone. She patted his face. No reaction.

"Spike, are you okay?" She shivered and he burst into action, half dragging her back toward their temporary home.

"I'm fine, Love. You can't live without me." He spun around and lifted her into the air in a swirling dance. "I'm bloody marvelous. Got my Christmas miracle early. It's only Christmas Eve."

"I'm your miracle?"

"You are. You chose me. No one ever has." He kissed her, his cold lips pressing to hers gently.

"This isn't going to be easy. Everybody will fight us. My friends, my family..."

"Demons, too. It doesn't matter, not a jot. You chose me. I'll fight the world to keep you if I must. Hell, I'll enjoy the battle. I won't be driven from your side. Now, can we get back to the cabin? I want to get in the hot tub and warm up. Need to touch you properly." His emotions were all there on his face.

"Not too properly, I hope." Buffy grinned. "I don't need you to warm up. I just need you."

"Buffy, we've been out here for hours, and I am a vampire. Want you to burn for me. Want to make you so hot, but I am the ambient temperature which is cold as bloody fuck. The hot tub is necessary. You could always join me." He raised his eyebrow, part question, part dare.

She smiled and took off for the cabin, tossing a smile back to her guy.


	8. Chapter 8

Spike leaned back in the hot tub, watching a few flakes drift down around him. The hot water was warming his body, but he could barely contain the urge to invade her space. He could hear her erratic heartbeat faintly over the bubbling water. He knew she wanted him. The sweet scent of her desire was nothing new, but tonight was different. Tonight, she was flitting about inside their shelter with the curtains drawn, doing heaven only knows. He shook his head and sank completely below the water.

The noise in the water, of the water really, broke his auditory connection to the world around him. It was unsettling. Reminded him of being in that damned wheelchair. He couldn't stand limitations. He pushed his head above the surface of the water and took a deep breath.

She had put on music, jazz, slow and seductive. He'd never had this, had someone do for him. He wasn't a fool. Being Buffy's chosen lover didn't guarantee her eternal devotion. The pressure her assorted connections would rain upon them might rip her from him. She was only eighteen, she could change her mind. He gripped the sides of the hot tub. None of it mattered. He was hers for as long as she would have him.

"Spike, are you trying to boil yourself?" Buffy called.

He surged out of the water and dried off quickly. It wouldn't do to lose too much of his body heat to the predawn air. He wrapped the towel around his hips, slid the door aside, and stepped into a fantasy of candles.

He knew this room. He'd whispered descriptions of it into the delicate shell of her ear while her watcher carried on about his blindness. White candles of different shapes and sizes covered most of the flat surfaces in the room. Their flickering light was so much kinder than the harsh glare of electric lights. The bed was turned down, ready for them.

"Do you like it?"

His eyes flicked toward her voice. She stepped out of the bathroom. The room, the music, the inviting bed disappeared. There was only Buffy in her white lace baby doll nightie. She worried her lower lip with her teeth while he stood there, stupefied. His wedding night fantasy surrounded them. She had made it real.

"I love it." He swallowed. "It's perfect, and you are a goddess."

"So, I don't look silly?" Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink. "It isn't too much?"

"You're perfect, my love." He moved toward her and ghosted his fingers along the lace. She had planned this, had brought these things with her. She had known what she wanted all along, and it was him.

"I didn't like the longer ones. I'm so short, and, well, this one had real lace." She was babbling like a brook. He smiled, pulled her tight to his body and kissed her.

Buffy melted against him, supple and yielding. Every great poet alive or dead had written about her. They had eloquence and imagination, and he had envied them each in their turn. None of that mattered. He had the girl, the woman. She was in his arms. She pulled back and pressed her forehead against his as she gasped for air.

He stoked her shoulders, running his fingers along the lace edges of her gown. She smelled divine. He took another deep breath, reveling in the scent of his slayer.

"I wanted to do all of this for you. It was supposed to be..."

"Our wedding night." She finished his sentence and smiled. "I tried to get it right. I know we can't get married. You would need papers and stuff for that, but I wanted it to be special. I'm not kidding. I can't lose you."

"You won't. I'm yours." He stroked her hair back from her face. She touched his chest with one hand.

"I'm not good with words like you are. I get flustered and I babble, so just listen." She waited until he nodded before she continued. "When I give myself to you, I am giving all of me. I'm not offering you a piece. You wanted me to be all in. I am. I don't want to try this. I want to do it. I thought we should try dating, but that's putting us through their hoops. I know it's fast. I know it's reckless."

"I'm yours." He put a finger against her lips. "If you want to return to Sunnydale and announce to one and all that we're together, I will stand beside you while we take all comers."

Buffy bit his finger. He stared at her in shock as she kissed the teeth marks she had left behind.

"I told you I needed to talk, so listen." She looked so adorable with her hands fisted on her hips, spitting mad and dressed for pleasure.

He grinned and nodded.

"First." She grabbed his hand and shoved his skull ring into it. "You didn't give me this because you wanted me to have it. Willow's spell made you do it. I should have returned it."

He slid the ring onto his right ring finger. It seemed heavier now.

"Second, I want to belong to you. I hope you feel the same way, but if you don't, it doesn't matter."

"What are you getting at, Pet?"

"I want you to claim me. I'd like to make it mutual, but if you aren't sure I'll wait."

He was gobsmacked, pure and simple. He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers. She couldn't know what she was saying.

"I know what I'm doing. I did the research after our engagement. I sat there with that book in my lap and wished we had done that because I would've still had you with me. I know what I want. The only thing I don't know is what you want."

The poet was fast and furious in his head. He couldn't ruin this with the wrong words. He plucked her up, cradled her in his arms, and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

Carrying her to their bed, he placed her gently in the middle and pulled away to look at her. She was all golds and roses, flush with life and fire. The white gown draped across her skin, revealing and concealing in turn. He stroked her thigh with the backs of his finger.

"I wish I had more to give you than a white nightie." She touched the fabric skimming her abdomen.

The hint of regret in her tone pulled at him. He wanted her to come to him in joy.

"We have pasts." He slid his body next to hers, holding the towel in place. "Mine's a bit darker than yours. Wouldn't change it though. It brought me to this place at this time with you. Even the damned chip, I accept it. I wouldn't have gotten to touch you like this without it."

He placed his hand on her abdomen, remembered human fantasies of hearth and family, and closed his eyes. She was offering him a place in the world. She would be his home.

She shifted her body, sliding closer to him, and caressed his face with one hand. Their gazes locked. Her hands slid down and pulled the towel away from him and tossed it to the floor.


	9. Chapter 9

Buffy felt Spike tremble as she settled her hand on his warm bare hip. She slid her thumb back and forth. He hadn't said yes, and he wasn't taking charge. She stared into his eyes looking for some sign.

"It's forever, Buffy. Vampires don't do divorce." His eyes traveled over her face. "You will be my mate, my home. I'll need you."

Buffy pressed her body into his, her soft curves pressed to his hard angles. He was trying to protect her. She stroked his side and felt his body quake.

"I want this. I want to be your home. I want you to be mine." She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her chest, covering her heart.

His eyes flickered between amber and blue. She could see the desire and the doubt at war in him. Her fingers slid over the scar on his neck. It was faint, but she sensed it. His eyes closed as she traced the place where Drusilla had ended his human life.

Spike moaned and moved to give her access, pulling her across his chest. Buffy grinned and looked down at him.

"I can feel something when I touch your scar."

"It's the sire bond. Comforts a fledgling and links the master to his clan. Dru can always find me through it, and I can find her."

Buffy stroked her fingers across the scar once more and sighed.

"You'll need to bite me over it to break the bond." He slid his hands up her arms. "You have to draw blood and swallow it until you can't feel her. Only way to make me yours."

"I can't take that from you. You love her." Buffy pushed away from him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd have to give her up."

"She let me try once. Offered me her neck, with the poof's mark. I tried. Dru just stood there. Laughed at me after and sang a little ditty. You can't take the sire bond. It has to be relinquished." Spike pushed his hands under the white lace and rested them on her bare back. "You need to bite hard and deep. Shake it a little. Those pearly white human teeth of yours will need all the help they can get."

Spike pushed his hands up her back and carried the white lace away with a flick of his wrist. She blushed as his eyes took her in. His eyes flared to amber and returned to blue.

"Loved you coming to me in white lace." He ran his hand down along her side and flicked the lace of the matching thong. "But love the rosy pink of your body so much more."

She didn't know what to say. Words really weren't her thing. She traced a finger down his chest. She wasn't some blushing virgin. She'd done this before, two times before, but those times didn't count. This was different. She looked up into his blue eyes. God, he was so damn beautiful.

"This is our wedding night." She bent down and kissed him, reveling in the slide of his tongue against hers.

Spike's hands glided over her skin, rubbing away tension in her knotted muscles and making her melt. She whimpered as he pushed her onto her back. She tried to pull him along with her, but he evaded her hands.

"Have to see my blushing bride happy." He stroked her face. His eyes shifted to gold for a moment and then back to blue. He was trying so hard for her.

He rested one hand against her throat, feeling her pulse. His other hand traced circles around her abdomen. Each pass of his fingers trailed along the scrap of lace still clinging to her body. She trembled under his gentle hand.

The bed shifted as he moved around her. His tender tracings never ceased spiraling on her skin. He was everywhere. She took a deep breath when his hands stilled and flattened on her hips. His thumbs hooked into the lace and he slowly slid the panties down her body. He stripped them off her and placed them on the nightstand with care.

She watched him, so careful in his movements, his muscles held in rigid control.

"What's wrong, Spike?" She sat up and pulled his shoulder. "You're so stiff."

He chuckled and his eyes flashed again.

"I want this, Buffy. I want to belong to you, be your man, but my control is shredding. You don't need a demon rutting between your thighs." He looked down at the skull ring and slid it off his finger. She took it and set it beside her panties.

"Show me your demon." She pulled his face up by his chin. "I'm here. I'm marrying you, all of you."

"You're mating with me because we can't marry legally."

Buffy clenched her fists. Words were failing again. She looked at Dru's mark on him and snarled. They could have gentle and perfect later. She needed to prove to him that he was hers.

She lunged forward, knocking him to the bed, and bit down over the scar. He bucked beneath her, but she tightened her thighs on his sides and pressed his arms to the bed. The mark tingled against her lips and tongue. She shook her head and broke the skin. His blood filled her mouth and she stilled. The tingling faded away. She swallowed the blood and let his skin slide from her mouth.

"Mine." She glared down at him, daring him to defy her claim.

"Yours." Spike looked up at her with his demonic visage in place. She kissed him, pressing her blood covered mouth to his.

He wrapped his arms around her and rolled them.

Buffy smiled and then arched as a something began to burn inside her. She writhed as Spike held her, panting in his ear. She whimpered, needing him to fix the problem. He had to be able to put out this fire. Tears slid from her eyes as she twisted her body about.

"Spike." She licked his blood off her lips. "Mine."

The burning sensationwas consuming her. She would be ash soon. It had to end.

"Yours. I'm yours." He growled it against her ear and the heat flared brighter. His legs slid between hers, his smooth flesh sliding on hers.

Buffy let her legs fall open. Her mind was reeling, the pain reducing her world to three words.

"Spike." She grabbed the back of his head and forced his gaze to hers. "William. Mine."

He shuddered and drove into her body. She arched as he stretched her, pushing into her deeper with each frenzied thrust.

"Yours, Buffy." He panted into her ear. "Always."

She tossed her head and clutched at the sheets, screaming as the fire blazed. He drove into her, harder, faster. She mewed in time to his frantic thrusts. She opened her eyes and turned her head toward his neck. The sight of his torn flesh made something in her leap. She curled her neck and latched her mouth over his wound, sucking his blood into her with abandon.

"Bloody, buggering fuck. I'm yours, my love. I'm yours." Spike screamed.

She lapped at his neck. Rocking her hips up to accept him, she turned her head and offered him her throat.

He growled, fierce and feral, against her ear. She quaked around him. Curling her legs up to rest against his heaving sides, she whimpered. He pulled back until only his tip rested in her. She moaned. The fire was raging and she needed him.

Spike licked her scar and she screamed. The pain was horrendous, like being savaged by Angel all over again. The tears flowed. Spike growled against throat. She mewled, words were gone.

The world became a burning haze of pain. The master was sinking his fangs deep one second and Angel was draining her life away the next. The flames raged through her. She was ash and flesh in the same moment. Spike was still above her. She forced her eyes open and looked up at him through the watery sheen of her tears. She brought her hands up to his face. His amber gaze was safe. He was hers.

He thrust into her and paused, his body deep in hers. She smiled up at him. He spoke to her, but she couldn't understand. She turned her head and offered up her throat again. He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple and whispered something soft into her ear. She stilled, holding her breath.

His fangs slid into her throat easily. She shuddered as her body pulsed. He pulled her blood slowly. Each tiny sip cooled the flames. She sighed as the pain receded. Spike rocked into her gently, thrusting in time with each swallow. She stroked his back with one hand and buried the fingers of the other in his hair.

He released her throat with a roar. She could feel his body emptying into hers, and locked her ankles behind him and pulled him in deeper.

"Mine." He kissed her cheek affectionately.

"Always yours." She turned her head and kissed his fanged mouth. "Always."


	10. Chapter 10

Spike smiled. His mate was curled against him. Her tiny hand rested possessively on his chest. It was heaven. She was exhausted from the mating. He hadn't expected it to be so powerful, hadn't warned her. She shifted slightly and sighed in her sleep. There had been pain and ecstasy. He closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of her body and the connection the bond had created. She would be awake soon.

He needed to get the stockings out before she got up. The candles had guttered out and the sun was high, but it didn't matter. He wanted her to have a real Christmas. He slid out from under her hand and pulled the down comforter up. The room was cool. She'd kept him warm. He felt practically alive.

He stood staring at her. She was beautiful. His Buffy, his slayer, his mate. He could feel the warm glow of her inside him. She was his by her own choice. He felt the wonder of it, the enormity of it. He was her choice. Drusilla had happened across him, but she had never chosen him. Buffy was the only one that had ever pursued him.

Moving away from her was torture, but he wanted to see her surprise when they got up. Their first Christmas together. He pulled out the two stockings and hung them from the ornate woodwork of the mantle with some ribbon.

"I'm married to Santa?" Buffy giggled.

"Wanted to give you a happy Christmas." He waved his hand at the small, perfectly decorated tree that had been in the cabin when they arrived.

"You already did." She blushed and touched her neck. He felt the call and shivered.

"Want me back in bed, do ya?" He grinned and jumped onto the bed next to her.

"I'm not quite ready for round two." She rolled her shoulders and winced. "But, I wouldn't say no to some cuddling."

Spike pulled her close so she wouldn't see his eyes tear up. She could sense it. Din' have to lay her eyes on it.

"Love holdin' you." He kissed the top of her head.

"I can feel you inside, like a warm hum. It's wonderful." She rubbed her cheek on his chest. "What is your full name? I mean Mrs. The Bloody sounds a little strange."

"Vampires don't do the name switch. Only thing that changes is the clan. The outsider joins the dominant clan." He shrugged.

"So, you're of the slayer clan now?"

"You're not a vampire, my love. Don' have a clan."

"Well, I kick Aurelian ass, so you're last name is Summers?"

"Summers-Pratt." He shrugged, and avoided her gaze. "Would make my da proud to know I honor it still."

"I like it, William and Buffy Summers-Pratt." She pressed him into the pillows and grinned down at him. "We sound all stuffy and formal. Giles will swallow his tongue."

"Watcher's not going to be over the moon 'bout this." Spike traced a finger around her healing bite.

"He'll get over it." Buffy ran her hand down his torso. "Let's not spend our time here thinking about the nonsense they're going to put us through. We're on our honeymoon and I'm feeling much, much better."

"Are you now?" He smiled at her eager expression. He stroked her side and shifted so she sprawled over him. He could smell her burgeoning desire and see it in her emerald gaze.

Buffy traced his scar with her finger. He shivered as the bond flared. Warmth radiated through him from the touch of just one of her fingertips.

"Wow." Her pupils dilated further and she clenched her legs against his hips. "What was that?"

"The bond has a bit more kick than a sire bond. Gonna take some time to adjust." He kissed her lips gently and ran his finger a over her mark.

Buffy tossed her head back and moaned. She was beautiful as she rose above him, a golden warrior goddess. He swallowed when her eyes opened, glowing green. She raked his chest with her finger nails and slid along his cock, teasing herself. He arched his back, and she slid down onto him in one stroke. Being inside her was as close to heaven as he would ever get.

She dropped to kiss him, flattening her breasts against his chest. The world fell away. Santa Claus and all his elves could bloody well parade through, singing good King Wenceslas for all he bloody cared.

Her little gasping breaths and strumming heart filled his ears. She placed her palm flat against his mark and his world exploded. Her mouth was everywhere, biting and kissing in turns. He grabbed her hips and thrust up into her heat. She moved with him, riding him at speed, slamming down onto him and screaming his name. All he cold do was writhe beneath her, reveling in her sweat slicked skin. He emptied himself into her and she collapsed, spent, her lips playing across his throat.

"Oh, Spike, god." She panted.

"No, just a vampire." He pushed her damp hair back from her face.

"Mine." She kissed him. The smooth slide of her tongue on his was sweet. She broke the kiss and looked down at him with a giant smile.

"Yours." He wanted to say more, to pledge his love, but she hadn't said anything about that emotion. It was enough that she cared. "Never been happier."

"I need a drink." She pulled away from him, blushing as he slid from her with a wet flop.

He watched her bend over and reach into the tiny ice box, presenting him with a lovely view of her derrière. He smiled as she wiggled it.

"I know you're having naughty thoughts." She pulled out a pint of blood and smiled at him over her shoulder and winked. She poured the blood into a mug and popped it into the microwave. "Do you want to open your presents?"

"Thought I had."

She rummaged about in a drawer and pulled out several brightly wrapped boxes. He swallowed, suddenly at a loss. No one had given him a Christmas gift since he had a heartbeat. He watched as his mate balanced a water bottle with the gifts, grabbed the mug of warmed blood, and made her way to his side.

"A little help?" She held out the mug to him.

He grabbed it and took a sip. Power and life poured into his body. It was her blood. He looked at the warm red liquid, stupefied.

"I have a friend at the blood bank. I managed to store three pints before we had to leave." She curled next to him and spilled his presents across her lap. She sipped her water and stroked his back. "I wanted to surprise you."

"Why would you do this? You're my mate, not food." He didn't want her to believe this was what he valued.

"I want to share everything, every part of me." She looked pointedly at the cup. "Please enjoy it. I liked donating it, knowing you'd be drinking it."

"I can take the out of date blood from the hospital if I need human, but the pig keeps me alive."

"I want you to drink it. I want to give you life." She looked up at him. "You can bite me most of the time, but if you're injured you might need more than I can safely give."

He nodded and finished the blood off in a few gulps, and put the mug down on the bedside table. There was something he was missing. She had donated this blood for him. He looked at his mate. There was something strange about the whole scenario.

"Want to open your gifts?" She was biting that lower lip again. He could sense her turmoil through the bond.

"Tell me why." He stroked her cheek. "I know there's something bothering you, Love."

"I want you to stay with me." She shivered.

"You're my mate. I'm not going to leave you, not ever." He pulled her into his arms. "You don't have to buy me with blood. Now, let me see these Christmas gifts."

She scooted out of his lap and handed him the biggest one. He turned it over in his hands, examining the lovely paper. He rubbed his finger along the seam and removed the paper carefully. The book slid into his hand. He flipped it over. Poetry. Pablo Neruda. He grabbed her and kissed her fiercely.

She yielded to him, opening her mouth and returning his fervor with abandon. He clutched the book against her back. Passion pulled at him. Her fingers gripped his arms as she rose to her knees. Joy flared inside him. Buffy broke the kiss to breathe. Her fingers slid on his arms in frantic strokes.

The strange glow flared in her eyes again, she bent down and sank her teeth into his mark. He felt his skin give under her passionate assault. He ran his free hand up her back and buried his fingers in her hair. She was drinking from him, pulling his tiny draughts of his blood into her body.

He managed to put the book down on the pillows next to them. The scent of her honeyed arousal made him moan. Shifting her body from one knee to the next, she whimpered around the mark. The wet, pleading sound raked him, demanding his immediate response. He dropped his and to her thighs and pulled her close, guiding her to straddle him. The heat of her core beckoned and he rocked up, nudging her folds gently.

She shuddered and slid down enveloping him in one stroke. He held her to him, refusing to let her move. She shivered in his arms quaking as her orgasm exploded. Her muscles contracted on him and he joined her in ecstasy. She let his flesh slide from her teeth and lapped at the wound, gently collecting his seeping blood.

"Mine." She whispered. Contentment replaced the passion and he stroked her gently.

"Yours, Buffy. I'm yours." He kissed her damp cheek, the rumble of his purr vibrating through his chest.

"I bit you." She looked at his the spot where her teeth had marked him and stroked the healed skin.

"You renewed the claim, Love. It will happen, especially if we're emotional." He ran his hands along her back, comforting her.

"You didn't renew yours." She pouted, pushing that enticing lower lip out in blatant invitation.

"Do you want me to renew it?" He tilted his head considering the quick blush that rode her cheeks.

"I want it. I feel unbalanced like I've made you more mine than I am yours. I want to feel equal." She shifted against him and groaned when he thrust up into her. "Again?"

"Anytime you want me to bite you, Love, and most of the rest of the time." He caressed her back and kissed along her jaw. "Want you always."

She tilted her head to give him better access. He closed his eyes and thanked whatever power in the universe had brought about this miracle. He kissed the raised mark his bite had left, and then sunk his teeth in gently. The power of her rolled him. He felt her body shake and followed her over, pumping his seed deep into her. He swallowed her heat and slid his fangs gently from her body.

"Mine." He whispered against her ear.

"Yours, Spike, I am so yours." She sighed as he slid from her and stretched their bodies down on the bed. "I don't know how much of this I can take. I feel like mush."

"Haven't even seen to you properly, yet." He laughed as she put one of his presents in his hand.

"See to this." She handed him one of his gifts.

He raised his eyebrows and gave her a teasing leer. He ripped the paper and from the gift and tossed it over his shoulder. Never stopping to look at the gift, he kissed her.

"I don't need things, Love. You've given me more than I ever imagined having." He stroked her hair and purred.

"I want you to have a real Christmas." She looked at him and showed him the bottle of hot sauce he had unwrapped.

"Buffy, I spent one hundred and twenty six years chasing what I wanted, begging for it. Then I had it for a few brief, glittering hours. Willow's spell let me taste it." He took the bottle from her hands and set it aside. "I thought I'd lost it, lost you. Then this trip comes along, and I figured I get to have some time with you. Wanted to make it special, but I never dreamed of this."

"Well, this comes with presents, so open this one." She put a well wrapped CD in his hand.

He stripped the paper from it and smiled. The Buzzcocks. His girl had gone punk.

"Thanks, Love. Did you have a hard time buying this, what with one of the songs being Orgasm Addict?"

"No, but you've turned me into one." She kissed him and popped a small box on his chest. It was black and rubbed in places, old by his girl's standards. "Last one. This was my grandfather's. He fought in the War and came back with my grandmother. I never met either one, but they left me this. It belongs to you."

She opened the box, plucked out the gold band, and slid it onto his ring finger. The weight of it was welcome. He pulled his hand up and admired the turned leaves winding around the band, life worked in cold metal.

"I have something for you as well." He eased her back and walked to his duffle. "Was Mum's. She was a lovely woman."

He pulled the ring from the leather case. The emeralds sparkled amongst the white gold flowers.

"Flowers and emeralds. It was a bit of whimsy in an austere world. I had it in my pocket the night I died. I've kept it with me all along this journey. Didn't know it was yours, but I've never offered it to another." He slid the ring onto her finger. "I love you, Buffy."


	11. Chapter 11

Buffy looked up into his cerulean gaze and froze. Her heart raced as the panic set in. The men that claimed to love her, those to whom she had said the words, always left her. She swallowed. Her tongue seemed to swell. How did she tell him? The words wouldn't come.

"Don't expect a declaration, Love. It's enough that you want to share your life with me." He pulled her close. "I don't need the words."

"I feel it." Buffy closed her eyes. "I just don't say the words, okay?"

"I just told you I don't need them." He cocked his head and stared at her.

"My dad left. He swore up and down he loved me. Promised he'd always be there for me, but he missed my last birthday. I haven't seen him in more than a year. He doesn't even call."

"Buffy, I know. Please, Love, it's not a problem." He tried to pull her into his arms, but she resisted.

"It is. You deserve the words. You're mine. I'm yours. We belong to each other. You shouldn't have to live without those words." She raked her fingers through her hair.

Spike was nothing like Angel. He wasn't going to disappear into the smoke one night. He would be there, beside her, come what may."

"I don't need words, Love." He took a deep breath and touched the scar on his neck. "You gave me this and the ring on my finger. You took me whole, monster and man."

"You've been left wanting far too long. If I could say it under a damn spell, I can say it now." She grabbed his face between her hands and stared into his eyes. "We are mated. I am happy to be yours, and proud to call you mine. I love you."

Spike stared at her. The bond flared, and she felt his joy. She smiled and kissed him.

"I love you." The words fell from her lips easily. "It's real and it's for always. I want to go to bed in your arms each night and wake up cradled against your chest. I love you."

He pulled her down into the rumpled sheets and kissed her soundly. His hands were roaming her sides, teasing along her nerves. He was using her slayer senses to push her higher, touching vulnerable spots setting off the tingly sensation. It felt like she was filled with pop rocks. She panted and rubbed herself against him. He licked the mark on her neck and rolled her onto her back.

"Love you, Buffy." He kissed the mark. "Gonna do this properly."

He slid down her body, caressing her breasts with his fingers. She whimpered and watched as he bent his head to take one of her nipples into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around it and scraped it with his blunt teeth. The sight of his head bent to her breast made something low in her twist. She closed her eyes and pressed back into the pillows.

He was moving, his lips at work on her not her nipple, one hand circled her navel, flat pressing his palm down just a bit as he passed between it her core, and one leg pressed between her thighs sliding up and down, but never reaching the place she craved the pressure. She whimpered and tossed her head.

"Spike, William, please." She begged and he surrendered her nipple with a pop.

"Just getting started, Love." He kissed her directly over her frantic heart. "Gonna make it so good for you."

"You are so good to me." She tried to pull him up for a kiss, but he wouldn't budge from his place. "I love you."

He smiled and shifted away from her, replacing his hand with his mouth. His tongue dipped into the shallow cave of her navel, pressing in to her. She buried her fingers in his air, loving the silken slide of his bleached curls. She looked down her body at him. He was beautiful, a Greek statue come to life for her. He looked up at her and smirked, but his eyes were filled with love.

"Come up here and kiss me."

"All in good time." He slid down further, pushing his arms under her thighs. She sighed as he kissed her inner thigh. "Gonna be so good for you, Baby."

She took a deep breath. Angel hadn't done more than shove himself into her and Parker had stuck a finger in, but no one had ever done what her mate was about to do. She tensed, waiting.

Spike leaned into her thigh and rubbed his head against her leg. His fingers moved gently across her doing no more than disturbing her curls. He pressed a kiss against her thigh.

"Relax, Love. Let me do for you." He pushed her legs gently and she let them fall apart.

How the hell did he expect her to relax?

"Tell me about England."

"Why do you want me to tell you about Blighty, Love?" He licked her then, one pass of his tongue parting her folds.

"Lie back and think of England, right?"

His burst of laughter filled the room. She could feel his body shaking with it.

"I love you, Buffy. I'm gonna get on with the worshipping now."

Spike shifted between her legs forcing them to open farther, and delved deep with his tongue. Sensation beat out tension, and Buffy moaned. The rumble of his purr vibrated through her. Each glide of his tongue drove her higher. She let go. Worries, fear, and pain dissipated. Her mate would be there. He would never leave.

Thrashing helplessly, she felt his hand steady her. He ran his fangs along her folds, trailing behind them with his wicked tongue. He pressed down on her abdomen, holding her secure to the earth as he sent her flying into orgasm.

She panted and blinked as the world came back into focus. She looked down at her mate and saw his happy grin. He stroked her folds with his fingers, soothing her and holding her in a state of arousal. She whimpered.

"Not done with you, yet." He dropped a sweet kiss on her damp curls and moved to cover her.

"I love you." The words flowed easily now. His eyes flared amber and then slid back to stunning blue. His gaze, soft and serene, trailed over her sweat slicked form.

"You are my reason, Buffy." He kissed her. The slow slide of his lips on hers echoed by his body. She tasted herself on his tongue and welcomed it. She gasped against his lips as he drove into her again, making them both whole. "I love you."

He filled her perfectly, to the point of pain but not past it. She writhed as he began to stroke, crying in protest at each retreat and gasping in happiness with every return. He pushed them inexorably up. Each thrust coming faster than the last, his small sounds of pleasure tipped the scales and she exploded around him, losing herself in the maelstrom.

She came back to herself in slow pieces. Deep gasping breaths and quaking body, gave way to contentment. Spikes arms were wrapped tightly around her. His muttered endearments mumbled against her ear. She tucked her body more securely against his.

"We have to go kill things, and I'm not sure I can walk." She smiled as his purr became more pronounced.

"We aren't leaving this room, Love. It's Christmas." Spike trailed his fingers through her hair. "Gonna spend the day loving. The demons'll be there tomorrow. Besides it's snowing."

"Let me guess. You can smell it." Buffy smiled.

"No, it's the quiet. Snow mutes the world somehow." He shrugged and dropped a kiss on her shoulder.

"The demons will be there tomorrow or the next day even." She grinned. "We are on our honeymoon."

"There's your stocking to open still."

"This has got to be a dream. Presents and all this wonderful alabaster skin of yours to lick?"

"I love you, Buffy." He chuckled and kissed her temple.

"Love you, too. So much." She drifted to sleep in her mate's arms.


	12. Chapter 12

Buffy sighed and rolled her shoulders, tossing him an impish grin. He shook his head and grabbed her hand. Fighting the demons had been easy compared to this. Hell, making Buffy wear the sling for a day after she went and got her shoulder skewered on a yeti horn to save him had been easier than this.

"No need to tell them right away, Pet. We can ease into it." He took a deep breath. It would just about kill him, but he couldn't force her. He forced a smile. "We're just here to drop off the gas guzzler. Our stuff is all stashed at your mum's. No need to shock them all silly."

"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds." Buffy grinned at his shocked expression and stuck her tongue out at him. "I do read, ya know. And, I didn't forget your monster in the closet statement. I love you. I'm not ashamed of us, and I won't hide. Plus, I'm kinda curious about what happened here while we were gone."

"Watcher was up to something. It's why he sent us away." He pulled her tight to his body and wrapped his arms around her.

"Yeah, there is no way he was playing match maker." Buffy grinned and stroked his cheek, a whisper on his skin. For all that strength he loved so much, it was her tenderness that brought him to his knees every time. She was his miracle. He closed his eyes and let the wonder of her flow through him.

"Just want to be kissing you at midnight, start the new year right." He enjoyed the desire that scented the air at his words. "We could just leave the car here."

Buffy pulled his tee aside and kissed his neck, making him instantly hard.

"I love you, Spike. I'm not going to hide it. Plus, it's like four in the morning. We've got plenty of time before New Year's." She giggled and bolted for her watcher's door. He shook his head and followed after her. His kitten liked to play.

She went still and held up one hand, signaling him to keep quiet. Her demeanor changed, kitten to cat in one moment. He approached quietly and stood beside her, rolling his eyes in irritation.

"I still can not comprehend what prompted you to send her off with Spike." The poof was complaining.

"She needed back up, a driver, and I needed everyone else here. Spike was available. His inability to harm humans would have been a liability here and his presence would have made the situation far more volatile." The watcher sounded irritated. "It was the logical solution."

"Spike wouldn't help her. He kills slayers. No chip is gonna change that." Angel growled. "If we're lucky, she'll have staked him."

"I'm with Deadboy on this one, Giles." Xander groused. "Best case scenario, she staked him. I'm hoping it was a dusty Christmas."

"Lusty Christmas, more like." Spike whispered and smiled down at Buffy. She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Buffy will be here any minute." The irritation in Giles' voice was blooming into anger. "You can take up your myriad complaints with her then."

Buffy leaned her head against his chest, rubbed the leather of his duster, and took several deep breaths.

"If I kill them all, will you help me hide the bodies?" She pulled back and smiled impishly at him.

"Can I drain 'em first?" He grinned as she nodded. "Best head in there, Love. Your massacre awaits."

Buffy giggled, grabbed his hand, and opened the door. Every eye in the room fastened on them. She leaned back against his chest. Spike sensed the tension in her and knew her attention was focused on the strangers in the room. He sensed two unknowns and joined his mate in assessing the strange man sitting where her watcher usually did. The woman in the kitchen would have to wait.

"Buffy." The watcher stood and looked at her, relieved. "You look lovely."

"Spike bought it for me at the lodge." She stroked the arm of her green, cashmere turtle neck, and patted her carefully braided chignon. "He did my hair as well."

"Playing ladies maid again, Spike?" Angel sneered.

"Leave him alone, Angel. Why are you even here?" Buffy glared at the room. "What the hell went on here while I was gone?"

"You let Spike touch your hair?" Xander glared at her. "Why was there touching?"

"Let is the so very much the wrong word. Encouraged, enjoyed, begged. Spike can do my hair anytime." Buffy smiled.

Angel was moving in an instant. He snarled and grabbed her shoulder, trying to yank her away from Spike. She flinched as his fingers dug into her healing flesh. The pain brought tears to her eyes. Slayer healing was great, but her shoulder was still sore from the battle with the abominable snow demons. She jerked her arm free as Spike flattened Angel against the wall.

"Keep your hands off, Peaches." His eyes flashed and he tossed the older vampire to the floor. "She was gored and doesn't need you dragging her about like your very own rag doll. She isn't yours."

"She isn't yours either, Spike." Xander shoved up from the couch and headed toward them.

"Yeah, I am." Buffy held up her left hand, showing off her ring. The room went perfectly still.

Movement returned first. Xander's mouth opened and closed like a guppy's. Giles was polishing his glasses ferociously. It was all very amusing.

"A ring means nothing. It's just cold metal." Angel smirked up at them.

"There are lots of things that mean very little to you." Buffy shook her head. "Makes so much sense, really, it does. Just a bit of metal."

"So, Captain Peroxide got you a ring?" Xander made a face. "You can't be serious. This is a joke. You're mad cause we sent you away, right? So, you are making with the so not funny."

"No, I'm happy you sent us away. It gave us the time we needed to find out what was real. It was of the good. Everything is simple." She smiled. "I love him and he loves me."

"Willow, what did you do?" Xander turned to face the red haired witch.


	13. Chapter 13

"I had nothing to do with that." Willow raised her hands palms out and shoved back into the couch.

"You are going to pay for this, Boyo." Angel growled and flipped up to his feet. "I am the master of your line."

"Not so much, Peaches." Spike shrugged the neck of his tee to the side, exposing the scars Buffy's human teeth had left on his skin. Gods, this was sweet. "Don't belong to you or Dru anymore."

"No. Whatever you've done, that can't be true. She would never, not with you." Angel hissed and charged. Spike stepped to the side and fought the urge to giggle.

"She did, does, and will. She made her choice." Spike looked over to Buffy and smiled. "Better believe she enjoys it, too."

"You make sure I do." Buffy winked at him boldly.

Spike grinned, shook his head, and punched dear old Peaches hard in the jaw as he made another pass. Angel slumped against the wall and stared at Buffy with his agony plain for all to see.

"What's the fun in beating the bastard if you take all the wind out of his sails, Pet?" Spike complained.

"What is going on here?" Willow asked.

"It's a spell, Will." Xander waved his hands in the general direction of Spike. "Warm up those fingers and get with the spell reversing."

"It's not a spell, Whelp." Spike snarled and kicked Angel back toward the front door.

"What's going on here?" Willow stomped her foot.

"An excellent question." An older, tweed covered man stood. He was an inch or so shorter than Giles, his hair was mostly a steel gray, but their eyes were identical.

"You must be Giles' dad." Buffy smiled. "Sorry for the drama. We weren't expecting a welcome home party."

"You are the slayer, Buffy Summers. I presume." He extended his hand and didn't flinch when the umbrella stand went skittering across the floor.

"Buffy Summers-Pratt." She smiled. "My husband is busy dealing with his side of the family, I'm afraid."

"Oh dear lord, Buffy." Giles turned his shocked eyes to her. "What have you done?"

"It's a spell. It has to be a spell." Xander was pointing at her. Buffy knocked his finger down and raised an eyebrow.

"Trying to talk with Giles the elder here, Xander." She tilted her head. "And, it is so not a spell."

"She would never." Angel spun and got in a kick to Spike's mid section. "She is too good."

"She's fanbloodytastic." Spike circled to the side. "Especially, when she's happy. Not something you'd know anything about."

Buffy blushed. This conversation was going no where fast. Spike was gonna blurt something out that she really didn't want Giles to hear, and it couldn't be good for Xander to turn that color purple.

"I really can't stand this chaos. If you would excuse me for a moment." Buffy nodded toward the gentleman and whirled about. "Xander sit down and shut up. One peep and I'll feed you to a Karnath demon one piece at a time. Get me?"

Xander nodded and fled to the couch next to Willow.

Buffy stalked over to Spike and Angel. Each click of her booted heels sounded through the suddenly quiet room. Spike had Angel pressed up against the front door. He tossed a grin at her. His hair was tousled and curly like it had been when they got out of bed this afternoon. Spike took a deep breath and smiled wickedly at her.

"Please, let him go, William. Giles has guests. I'd rather not play kick Angel's head like a soccer ball this morning." She smiled, and Spike released Angel.

Spike sighed and rolled his shoulders, making a production of it. In truth, it was easy to move away from his past with his eyes locked on his mate. She was beautiful, inside and out, his siren, his destiny. Damned poet. He reached out to grab her hand, but she darted around him with a growl. He heard the clatter of a stake on the floor before he had managed to turn.

Buffy grabbed the poof's shirt and tossed him to the floor. The crack of bones breaking sounded through the room. She moved in a blur, and, pressing one knee into Angel's gut to hold him steady, she held a stake to his chest letting the tip prick his skin. Spike licked his lips.

"Hands in pockets. You step out of line once and Spike can kill you with my blessing. Your oh so wonderful powers can bring you back if they want, but I am done with your nonsense. I chose him. You don't get to take him from me." She pressed the stake in a bit further. "Do we have an understanding?"

The poof nodded. It was too sweet. Spike fought the urge to clap. His mate had taken control of the room so quickly and put on a show to boot. He smiled when she stood and extended her hand to him. He moved to her, lacing their fingers together.

"Ready to tell us what we missed?" Spike looked at Giles steadily, but the man was staring at the vampire struggling to rise behind them.

"Quentin Travers decided that Buffy was a liability. He wanted her removed from service and another called. He moved to act without seeking approval from the governing committee. He brought a wet team to Sunnydale and funded a quasi military operation here. We had to let him show his hand. He was stopped." The older watcher type answered.

"Then you know about Spike's chip?" Buffy put her hands on her hips.

"Yes."

"Take it out." Buffy took a deep breath. "He doesn't need it."

"If we remove his chip, will you assume responsibility for him?" The man's sharp eyes studied her.

"I will, but you needn't worry. Spike doesn't hurt the women he cares about." Buffy squeezed his hand.

"His?" Willow looked back and forth between them.

"We will remove the chip." The tweed wearing man looked at them steadily.

"This is William the Bloody, Father." Giles looked away from Angel's struggles to join the discussion.

"The Council exists to serve the slayer. The chip will be removed."

"Succinct. Like your Da, Watcher." Spike smiled at Giles' obvious discomfort.

"There is a great deal of work left, Mrs. Summers-Pratt. We need you to handle the final closure of the military facility. I'd like your assessment of the weapons and any data we uncover. It appears as if Travers was trying to create an army to combat evil."

"Doesn't sound like much fun." Buffy sighed. "Please, tell me someone hurt Travers."

"He was stripped of all consequence, his property was seized, and he will be standing trial for crimes against the slayer. He will be hurting until I take his bloody head." The elder Giles' eyes flashed.

"Oh, the Ripper thing is genetic. Cool." Buffy smiled.

"I would like to hear about your trip, Buffy." The younger Giles' sharp tone irked Spike. She owed no explanations to anyone.

"We went, wandered in the snow for a bit, got hitched vampire style, honeymooned, killed the demons, honeymooned some more, and came here. Really, it was a nice get away. I loved the snow." Buffy smiled and leaned into Spike.

Both of the watchers paled. Spike could see this was going south and tensed to pull Buffy out of the dangerous situation. He had to keep her safe.

"Relax, vampire. None of us will harm your mate." A woman with the same green eyes as the watchers emerged from the kitchen. "Never thought to be in a room with two ensouled vampires."


	14. Chapter 14

"I don't have a soul." Spike said. "That's the poof's gig."

"He doesn't have a soul. There's no curse on him." Buffy met the woman's steady gaze. "And, he doesn't need one."

"I didn't say that he needed a soul. I said he has one. It's part of the mating. Did the act burn you, Dear?" The woman stared pointedly at Buffy. "It was reported to be quite painful in the Etruscan translation."

"It was excruciating." Buffy nodded. "Wonderful, but, wow, I thought I was going to dust."

"Your soul expanded and tore itself apart. I imagine it must have been quite painful." The woman's green eyes flicked between them. "You quite literally made him your soul mate. I don't suppose you would describe the event in detail?"

"Why did it hurt for so long?" Buffy squeezed Spike's hand. "It didn't get any better until he returned the claim."

"He had to accept the gift, Dear." The woman smiled. "It was his choice. When he claimed you, he accepted the new soul you made for him."

"There's no soul. I'm not eating rats and flogging myself." Spike glared at Angel. "I haven't abandoned my family. I'm not some poofter. I'm not going to leave her and I'm not gonna hurt her. Plus, I have never been so happy."

Buffy smiled at him and he kissed her. The world fell away. None of this mattered. None of it. Spike pulled back from her lips and rested his forehead against hers.

"Only you." He stroked her hair. "I'm yours always, forever. Promise. I'll never leave."

"No, you wouldn't. Slayers have picked mates from your kind before. Though it has been far too long. Our girls haven't lived long enough." The woman smiled at both of them. "It really is quite remarkable. She shared her soul with you, her immortality, as you have gifted her with yours."

"The evidence of such pairings is anecdotal at best and apocryphal at worst." Giles said. "You can't know that's what happened here. There's no way of predicting what this will do."

"It does not matter, Rupert." His father looked at him steadily. "She is your slayer. Nothing there has changed. You will help her come what may."

"So, Spike's cursed with a soul?" Willow stared at them with wide eyes. While the others stared at him with varying amounts of disbelief. Buffy stroked his arm and leaned against him.

"No. He's been blessed with one, and that makes all the difference." The feminine Giles smiled.

"No, it's just some game he's playing." Angel snarled and moved toward the woman. "You don't know him. None of you know him."

"I do." Buffy stepped between the two vampires. "He loved me before the soul. He loves me now. If he loses his soul, I will still be able to trust him at my back. You did a good job on us, Angelus. Made us hurt. It's always pain and suffering with you. Yours, mine, theirs."

"I am not Angelus."

"Yes, you bloody well are. If the soul made you a good man, you'd be caring for Dru. She'd bag it if you asked her. You're always running away from your past. Never learned to stand for something. Never learned to really care. Obsession is your game. Ought to try devotion. See how it feels." Spike flipped two fingers at Angel.

Angel opened his mouth to argue and found his voice gone.

"Lorraine, is that necessary?" The elder Giles watched as Angel rubbed his throat.

"If he has anything constructive to offer, his voice will return. I am not unnecessarily cruel, Father."

"So, are any other members of the Giles family dropping by?" Buffy looked at her watcher and smiled.

"There are no others, Ms. Summers-Pratt. My children seem loathe to reproduce." He sighed. "I did long to dandle grandchildren from my knees in my old age."

"Well, I can be your grand slayer, I suppose." Buffy laughed as all three of the Giles made similarly discomfited expressions. "No dandling though."

"Annexing, family everywhere, aren't you?" Spike kissed her temple. "Do I really have a soul?"

"If young Willow would care to actually study magic, I could teach her a spell that would allow all of you to see it." Lorraine Giles looked at Willow with interest. "You have a great deal of power. Rupert should have taken you in hand some time ago."

Willow was up next to Lorraine at near vamp speed. The spell was simple, and Willow performed it with ease. Even Xander moved closer to watch.

Spike sat in their chair, the one they had cuddled in during Willow's spell, and grinned as Willow scattered some sort of dust over him. He took a deep breath as his body seemed to throw off rainbows.

"He has a soul, a true and anchored soul." Giles watched in awe as the light danced around Spike.

"Can I touch him?" Buffy rubbed her hands together.

"Yes, there's no danger." Lorraine waved her hand as she watched the colors swirl intently.

Buffy jumped toward him, giggling. She curled into Spike's arms and gazed at the aurora of colors, bright and vibrant, that swirled around him. It was beautiful.

Spike took a deep breath as the spell faded.

"It's Buffy's soul, not mine. That's why it's so pretty."

"No, when you claimed her you accepted the gift. It's yours. You gifted her as well. She's nearly impossible to kill now." Lorraine smiled gently. "It should be interesting to observe what traits you two will share."

"If the tales are true." Giles assessed Spike. "This will require research. We have no idea what this has done to her. We should examine her soul. What if it's been harmed? And Angel's soul, we need to look at it for comparison."

"Now we're in for it." Buffy groaned and rolled her eyes As her watcher rambled on.

"Never wanted a soul." Spike relaxed and stroked Buffy's back. They could all blather on about his soul, if he really had one. Buffy sighed and melted into his arms. "I didn't do this for a soul. I only wanted you."

"I know that, Spike." She kissed his cheek gently. "I didn't know about the soul thing. I wouldn't have taken the risk if I had. I would have been to afraid of hurting you."

"Why don't I feel any different?" He raised one eyebrow and looked over at Angel. "Why don't I feel the guilt?"

"Does it matter?" Buffy stroked his cheek. "It doesn't change anything. We belong to each other. I love you."

"I love you, too." He wrapped his arms around her. Soul or no soul he was hers.


	15. Chapter 15

**Epilogue: Epiphany**

Buffy squeezed Spike's hand as they walked down the tree lined street. The moon was high, patrol had been wonderful and her mother was due home tomorrow. She wasn't quite sure why they weren't tucked away in her bed, making the most of their limited time.

"I did something rash, Love."

"I didn't know vampires could do that. Is is itchy? Maybe contagious?" She smirked as he glared at her. "What did you do?"

"Bought a house." He stopped and turned her to face a two story Victorian with all the fussy trim. The place was like five different colors, had a wraparound porch, and a wrought iron fence. "Bought this house."

She tilted her head and stared at the place. It looked to be in good shape. She glanced over at Spike in his punk attire. There was a subtle tightness in his shoulders and a stiffness in his jaw. He was nervous.

"Did you pick it because you like all things Victorian?" She teased.

"Picked it for you. I could be happy enough in a crypt, but you need indoor plumbing and a kitchen." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. "You know, those pesky human things."

"Poor baby, married to a human. It must suck to be you." She bumped his arm with her shoulder.

"Only when I'm very lucky." He trailed his finger along her neck, nudging the shirt aside to trace the permanent imprint of his teeth that rode there. She shivered. A house was a big deal. Couples were supposed to make these kind of big decisions together, but she couldn't muster up even a little irritation.

"So, show me the place." She tugged on their joined hands. "Then you can explain how we can afford all this."

"Used my money. It's ours now. Need to add you to the accounts." He looked at the ring on his finger as he opened the gate.

"Accounts?" There were accounts?

"I've taken the money I had in my human life and invested." He shrugged. "Always good with finances."

"So, are we rich?" She bit her lip.

"Comfortable. The Judge took a big chunk of it." He looked at her sheepishly. "Had to grease a fair amount of palms to get all those bloody pieces here."

"Yeah, stealing the rocket launcher to slay him was no picnic either." Buffy grinned.

"Gonna dig out the treasure that was with the ring. That'll set us up right and proper." He curled a piece of her hair around his finger. "Need to show your mum that I can be what you need."

"She's always liked you." Buffy smiled as they strolled up the walk to their house. "She'll probably be more concerned about my age. Guess we'll find out at dinner."

Spike pulled her to a stop at the bottom of the stairs that would lead them to their front door. He cupped her face between his chill hands and kissed her. It was sweet and brief.

"I'll win her over eventually. Only thing that has ever beaten me is you." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Together, nothing will stop us."

"So, show me this giant place you bought for us." She smiled. "I was hoping we could manage a studio apartment, but this is pretty amazing."

They walked up to the double doors and he swung her up into his arms. She giggled and circled his neck with her arms. The goofy, romantic side of her mate was coming to the fore far more often. It was too cute. She buried her fingers in the soft hair at the back of his head. He pushed the doors open with his foot and strode in.

"Traditionalist." Buffy dropped a quick kiss on his cheek and enjoyed the slide of their bodies against each other as Spike returned her to her feet.

"It's our home. Four bedrooms, three baths, library, basement, lots of room, a great kitchen, and we can keep the furniture you like and toss the rest. Close to a campus and your watcher's. Not much in this town that isn't. Best part is the necroglass. The stuff protects me from the sun. You won't have to mind the curtains here. I won't be dragging you into a life of darkness."

Buffy looked at the thoroughly modern interior of the home and smiled. It was the opposite of her mate. He was, at his core, still the Victorian gentleman. She stroked his arm as she looked around the space. Spike worried so much about providing for her. The house was huge. It would be a pain in the ass to clean, but she would be able to make love to him with sun pouring in through the windows.

"It's perfect. When do we move in?" She grinned at his obvious relief. "Were you that worried?"

"You like to make the big calls, Love. I know that."

"On patrol? Yeah. When it's just you and me, not so much. This place is more than I imagined, but it's of the good."

"Want the whole tour?"

"Tell me you put fresh bedding on the master bed, and we're good."

"Would I have brought you here if I hadn't?" He swung her up onto his arms. "I'll have you thanking the stars for my traditions before the sunrise."

"Traditions?" She traced the curve of his ear with her fingers.

"Epiphany is a day for worship and feasting, Love."

* * *

Author's Note

Merry Christmas. Hope you enjoyed the story. I wanted to write something lighter than my usual, so all the really awful stuff gets left to your imagination. I really appreciate the time you give to my stories. Readers and reviewers inspire me. This story developed from seeds planted by several sources. Thank you.

I went and wrote the sequel. It's a Valentine's Day piece. I'll post it in February. I have a whole holiday related series worth of ideas for this fluffy pair. Let me know if you think I should continue.

Now, we come to the shameless self promotion. Three of my stories are nearing their conclusions. I hate saying goodbye to them, but there are always new stories brewing in my mind. I have several stories in development, and this time you get to choose which one I post next. I have a poll at the top of my profile page with descriptions of each option. The poll will remain open until the end of January, so vote. Please.

I have recently joined a forum here on FF, **TieDye's & Friends' Buffy Challenges. **There are several interesting challenges listed there. I would love to see some feedback on them. I am a bit curious to see who will pick up the gauntlets and eager to read the results.

I hope your holidays are full of comfort and joy.

Thanks for reading,

Anna


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